My favorite player growing up was Cal Ripken Jr.
As a Baltimore Orioles fan, it was easy to take for granted that Ripken would be in the lineup every single night. The fact that Ripken played every game of every season for nearly 18 seasons, while putting up a 3.5 WAR or better in 16 of those seasons, is one of the most impressive feats in baseball history.
My belief today is that Ripken would have been one of the best hitters in the history of the game had he taken a few breaks to recharge himself. He finished with 431 home runs, but how many would he have had if he played 150 games per year, giving his body and mind a chance to rest?
Baseball has very few iron men these days. There is more focus on rest and recovery. This year, only eight players in the Majors have played every game of the season. The current active leader is Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who has played 407 games in a row since May 13, 2022. By comparison, Ripken played in 2,632 games in a row.
The Pittsburgh Pirates follow the more modern-day thinking of taking games off. Their leader in games played since Olson’s streak began is Bryan Reynolds, with 372 games played. He’s missed four games this season.
On Saturday night, the Pirates had a feat that might be as rare as Ripken’s streak: They fielded the same lineup for the second consecutive day in a row.
If you look at the top 270 players in games played (representing a full 9-man lineup for 30 teams), the floor right now is 70 games played in 2024. The mid-point is 99 games played.
After Saturday’s game, the Pirates only have three players who rank as average or better in games played. Reynolds leads the way with 112, followed by Oneil Cruz at 104, and Rowdy Tellez at 99.
Truthfully, there haven’t been many players on the roster who have warranted above-average playing time, which highlights one of the problems with the Pirates’ offense.
Pittsburgh Pirates Games Played in 2024
The top nine hitters for the Pirates, by games played, currently rank as follows:
- Bryan Reynolds – 112
- Oneil Cruz – 104
- Rowdy Tellez – 99
- Andrew McCutchen – 97
- Connor Joe – 96
- Ke’Bryan Hayes – 90
- Michael A. Taylor – 89
- Jack Suwinski – 88
- Jared Triolo – 85
The next highest game total is Nick Gonzales, with 65 games played. Gonzales also played 30 games in Triple-A, and has been injured for a few weeks.
From the list above, there are a few things which stand out.
- Andrew McCutchen, at this stage in his career, would probably benefit from playing less. However, he’s one of the top four hitters on the team by wOBA and wRC+.
- Connor Joe is ideally a utility player off the bench, but has been used like a starter. He ranks just behind McCutchen offensively, with league-average offense.
- Ke’Bryan Hayes has been dealing with a back injury this year, and is struggling on both sides of the ball compared to 2023.
- Jack Suwinski was one of the players getting daily playing time, before being sent down to Triple-A. He has 104 games played between the two levels, despite having a horrible offensive season.
- Michael A. Taylor has been one of the best defensive outfielders, but is having a career-worst season at the plate.
- Jared Triolo is having a well-below-average season at the plate, but has racked up playing time due to his defensive value at multiple positions.
- The catchers aren’t going to be high on the list. The most games for a catcher in the majors this year is 95. The mid-point of the top 30 catchers is 73 games. Yasmani Grandal leads the Pirates with 52 games played, while Joey Bart has 50 games, with a few of those as the designated hitter.
Let’s say that the Pirates don’t need an iron man, but they do need more reliable hitters who can play an above-average amount of games.
If we’re looking ahead to next season — and based on the current losing streak, we are — then the Pirates have just two players who could be counted on for above-average playing time and good offensive production. Three, if you think Hayes will rebound back to the 3-WAR seasons of the last two years. Four, if you consider that the catching combo next year doesn’t look like an issue, even if the group might not have any one player with above-average time behind the plate. Five if you think Gonzales would be an above-average option for playing time.
That still leaves four spots remaining in the regular lineup.
Boosting the Depth at the Deadline
I feel that the Pirates improved at the trade deadline, even if the improvements were minor. They didn’t add an impact hitter who you’d want to start at an above-average pace. What they did was boost their depth.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa has played 89 games this year, while missing time in July with an injury. Bryan De La Cruz has played 112 games, though his offense has been slightly below-average, and worse since joining the Pirates.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates traded Kiner-Falefa in the offseason, while offloading his $7.5 million salary. For a team that spends conservatively, that seems like a high price to pay for a bench bat, even if he would be a contending bench bat. They have cheaper alternatives that they also acquired at the deadline, with Billy Cook and Nick Yorke hitting well in Triple-A.
Next year’s bench would include at least one of Henry Davis or Endy Rodriguez. I’d expect Andrew McCutchen to return, though it would be better if he returned as a bench option, rather than a starter. I could see Connor Joe getting moved in the offseason, for the same reason I think IKF gets moved. That duo would be set to make over $10 million, and the Pirates would be better off putting that combined money toward a starter.
De La Cruz adds to the outfield depth. The Pirates could go with him and/or Suwinski off the bench, hoping that one or both finds their power stroke. From there, the infield depth options of Triolo, Cook, Yorke, and Liover Peguero give the Pirates plenty of options behind Gonzales.
The bench depth looks deep, and cheap.
That important combination would allow the Pirates to add to their starting lineup in the offseason. The goal should be simple: Find players who can join Reynolds and Cruz as regular, reliable performers.
The 2025 Starting Lineup
Using the more optimistic view from above, let’s assume the Pirates have five starters who can put up above-average playing time.
C – Joey Bart/Endy Rodriguez/Henry Davis
1B – N/A
2B – Nick Gonzales
SS – Oneil Cruz
3B – Ke’Bryan Hayes
LF – Bryan Reynolds
CF – N/A
RF – N/A
DH – N/A
The Pirates will once again need a first baseman and a center fielder. They could roll the dice on Suwinski/De La Cruz for the third outfield spot, and the catching trio could fill in at the DH spot.
At this point, the Pirates should be adding to the top of their lineup, and moving everyone else down. Reynolds and Cruz are locked in as top five hitters. Ideally, they add two players this offseason who could push Hayes, Gonzales, and the catching trio out of the top four. Power from Suwinski or De La Cruz would then be a bonus from the bottom of the lineup, with the catching fallout also being a bonus.
If we’re really getting into the ideal, the Pirates need a reliable, daily lineup.
With the team they have this year, and the struggles from so many offensively, you can’t fault manager Derek Shelton too much for the lack of a regular group. There are other reasons why Shelton shouldn’t be back next season, but regardless of who the manager is, the job from the General Manager should be to boost the offense to allow for a regular productive group — at least in the top four spots.
That’s going to require money to be spent, or prospects to be traded. It’s also going to require Ben Cherington to make a serious effort to add to this team like a contender would, rather than settling for value sleepers like the past two offseasons and the most recent trade deadline.
Pirates Prospect Watch
Carlos Jimenez threw five shutout innings in Bradenton, fueled by one of the best changeups in the system. Nick Yorke extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Thomas Harrington made his second start in Triple-A. Carlson Reed made his second start in High-A. Read about all of Saturday’s minor league action in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch.
