The Pittsburgh Pirates are winding down their season, and one thing is obvious: They need help in 2023.
It remains to be seen if they will get more aggressive this offseason in trying to add outside help. Their farm system has been building up, and is on the verge of producing a lot of talent to the majors.
As the 2022 season winds down across all levels, I decided to sort through the chaos to see where the Pirates’ help will come from in 2023.
Catcher
2023 Internal Option: The Pirates tried for Roberto Perez as their catcher this year, but he went down for the season in early April. Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay have stepped up as the best internal options, with both excelling on defense. Both have shown the ability to be solid backups in the majors. Delay is about four years younger, and makes more sense for the backup role. The Pirates don’t have a starter.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: Endy Rodriguez might be the guy who takes over in Pittsburgh by the middle of next season. My belief is that Endy will be the primary catcher in Pittsburgh over Henry Davis, though I can see the Pirates getting creative to split time. In any case, Davis missed a lot of time this year, and it would be aggressive to expect him in the majors in 2023. Rodriguez, on the other hand, looks like he’s ready.
External Help Needed? It would be smart for the Pirates to try and bring back Perez. The combo of Perez and Delay would provide solid defense, with the hope that Rodriguez arrives mid-season to start upgrading the offensive output from this position.
First Base
2023 Internal Option: This one just got a fun twist. The Pirates added Michael Chavis in a low-cost trade last year. He ended up spending more time at first base this year than he had in his previous MLB years, combined. They just claimed Miguel Andújar, who only has 17.1 MLB innings at the position. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a shot at first/designated hitter next year, replacing Chavis.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: The Pirates don’t have a standout first base prospect. They do have a few fringe-average prospects who might be able to hit in the majors. Mason Martin was leading the pack, and had all of 2022 to break into the big leagues. His strikeout issues have held him back. The Pirates added Malcom Nunez from the Cardinals, who should start in Triple-A next year. They’ve also seen great things from Aaron Shackelford this year, who received a late promotion to Triple-A. The hope would be one of these three, or Andújar, stepping up for the role.
External Help Needed? Yes. Andújar is 27-years-old, and none of the prospects project to be a starter — though they can all still develop into that possibility. Ideally, one of these four steps up in 2023. The Pirates will need to add help to this position if they want to contend next year. This is an obvious hole.
Second Base
2023 Internal Option: If I were calling the shots right now, Rodolfo Castro would be the starting second baseman in 2023. In the second half of the season, Castro has a .261/.316/.529 line at the plate, with minimal value loss defensively over Kevin Newman. The Pirates also recently promoted Ji-Hwan Bae, who has been hitting well in Indianapolis all year. Newman isn’t having a bad season, but is arbitration eligible, and at this point looks like a bench option. He wouldn’t be bad to have as a backup to both middle infield spots.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: Don’t rule out an arrival by Nick Gonzales. He was making a lot of adjustments to his swing in Altoona this year, before going down with a heel injury. Upon his return, he hit .287/.404/.513 in 141 plate appearances. I’d expect Gonzales to start the 2023 season in Indianapolis. If he continues to hit this well, he will give Castro and Bae a real challenge.
External Help Needed? I think the Pirates are fine with their internal options here.
Shortstop
2023 Internal Option: Oneil Cruz is the shortstop. His defense isn’t great, but it’s not prohibitive. If the Pirates did have a middle infield of Cruz and Castro, they would be lacking defensively. Considering the defense at third base, they might want to go for a defensive-minded first base option, giving the middle infielders some help. That would allow the Pirates to rest easier in having so much power from the middle infield.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: Liover Peguero is the best option, though he had an inconsistent season in Altoona. He’s the only guy in the upper levels who I think could move Cruz off the position.
External Help Needed? I think they would probably alienate Cruz by moving him off the position, when there’s not much reason to do so.
Third Base
2023 Internal Option: Ke’Bryan Hayes will be the third baseman for a long time in Pittsburgh. Defensively, he’s the best in the game. Offensively, he has some of the hardest contact in the league, but a negative launch angle that leads to an excess in ground balls. When he fixes that last issue, he will be one of the best third basemen in the game.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: Jared Triolo is a solid defensive option who put up a .795 OPS in Altoona. He won a Gold Glove at the position last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins it again at the Double-A level. If Hayes gets hurt, Triolo could be his replacement. The best starting fit for Triolo might be first base. He should start the 2023 season in Indianapolis.
External Help Needed? No.
Outfield
2023 Internal Options: Bryan Reynolds leads the group, but hasn’t shown good defense in center field this year. Jack Suwinski has stepped up with his power, and solid defense in the corners. None of the other outfield prospects have stepped up as starters. The best alignment might be moving Reynolds back to left, Suwinski to right, and adding a defensive-minded center fielder.
2023 Mid-Season Prospects: As far as center fielders go, Travis Swaggerty would be the best defensive option. Offensively, Swaggerty has only hit for a .750 OPS this year in Indianapolis. Matt Gorski went from High-A to Triple-A this year, and might be the best overall option. His defense in center is solid, and he projects for a better bat, with more power than Swaggerty. Blake Sabol is a corner outfield prospect who has emerged with the bat this year, finishing in Triple-A. Jared Oliva has solid defense and has been hitting at the end of the year. He turns 27 this offseason, but is still younger than Andújar.
External Help Needed? I think the Pirates need an outfielder. They have a few internal options who could emerge by the end of the year. We saw this year how that worked out. It led to one regular starter who still had to go down to Triple-A for work. I wouldn’t count out the guys who didn’t do as well as Suwinski. Anything from them, or the minors, should be a bonus. The Pirates need to add to Reynolds and Suwinski.
Designated Hitter
2023 Internal Option: Andújar might be the best option.
2023 Mid-Season Prospect: I’d expect this position to change, as prospects push guys off other positions.
External Help Needed? Yes, but at other positions.
Starting Rotation
2023 Internal Options: Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, and JT Brubaker look like certain options for the 2023 rotation. The Pirates also have Luis Ortiz and Johan Oviedo showing impressive stuff late in the season. Both need to work on their control, and that would be best done in Triple-A, serving as early-season MLB depth. Out of the remaining options, Zach Thompson looks like he could be a depth starter, working out of the bullpen in long-relief.
2023 Mid-Season Prospects: The headliners are top prospects Quinn Priester and Mike Burrows. Both will start the 2023 season in Indianapolis, and I’d expect both to arrive by mid-season 2023. Ortiz and Oviedo can provide additional depth. The Pirates have a few options from Altoona this year, highlighted by Kyle Nicolas and Carmen Mlodzinski.
External Help Needed? I think the Pirates need two starters. Bringing Jose Quintana back on a multi-year deal would be a great value move. The lefty excelled in PNC Park, and would add variety to the current group. If the Pirates want to contend, they will need a second guy, relying on their remaining options as depth.
Bullpen
2023 Internal Options: David Bednar is the biggest standout. Duane Underwood Jr. leads the way from the middle relief group. The starting options from this year should start to move to the bullpen in 2023 as new options emerge.
2023 Mid-Season Prospects: The Pirates still need starters, so most of their top arms are in the rotation. It’s hard to predict who will emerge for a bullpen role, as that would be based on need.
External Help Needed? At the least, the Pirates need a complement to Bednar, so that they don’t burn him out. They could also use a replacement for Chris Stratton to eat leverage innings. I would rather see them add to the rotation and give the Stratton role to one of the former starters.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: Where Will the Pirates Help Come From in 2023?
Johan Oviedo: Secondary Pitches Playing Well With Increased Usage
Termarr Johnson Hit The Ground Running In Professional Debut
Travis MacGregor Overcoming Nearly Three Lost Seasons
