Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Goals For 2021
As the calendar flips from 2020 to 2021 we take a look at three goals the Pittsburgh Pirates should have entering the new year
Ladies and gentlemen our long, national nightmare is over. 2020 has come to an end. Now, it’s onto 2021 for the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as the rest of the world.
As the entire world strives to get back to normlacy in 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates may once again find normalcy. By normalcy I mean the Pirates suffering through a losing season. I kid, I kid. While, yes, the Bucs will likely suffer their third consecutive losing season in 2021, there should be plenty of positive that can come of it.
General manager Ben Cherington, manager Derek Shelton and the rest of the Pirate brain trust have turned their eyes full steam ahead toward 2021. That said, what should the Pittsburgh Pirates look to accomplish in 2021?
In order to make 2021 as successful as possible the Pittsburgh Pirates need to set out goals and look to accomplish them. What should these goals be? Today, we will discuss three goals that the Pirates should have for 2021. Let’s start with may be the most important goal for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2021 calendar year.
Keep adding young talent
Cherington was hired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in November 2019. Since being hired Cherington has done an excellent job adding young talent to the Pirate farm system. In fact, in Cherington’s first year on the job the Pirates are among the top five teams in baseball in terms of talent added to their farm system.
These additions started last February when Cherington traded center fielder Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return for Marte, the Pittsburgh Pirates received shortstop Liover Peguero and pitcher Brennan Malone. Both Peguero and Maone are now top 10 prospects in the Pirate farm system and Peguero, who has a very high ceiling, is a top 100 prospect.
The Pittsburgh Pirates then had an excellent draft. They added high end talents in infielder Nick Gonzales, pitcher Carmen Moldzinski, and pitchers Jared Jones and Nick Garcia, among others. Now, the Pirates have a great opportunity with the 2021 draft to keep adding talent to their farm system. They can also continue to add to their young talent pool if, or more likely when, they trade Joe Musgrove and Adam Frazier.
Over the course of the next two seasons the Pirates should see a lot of their top prospects start to graduate, joining players such as Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds as part of the team’s new young core. In 2023, many of their young, highly touted pitching prospects should start to graduate. As the Pirates continue to build toward their next window of competing, it is vital to continue to add young talent to the organization in 2021.
Bryan Reynolds Bouncing Back
In terms of what the Pittsburgh Pirates do at the Major League level in 2021, few things are more important than seeing Bryan Reynolds bounce back. As a rookie in 2019 Reynolds hit for a .314/.377/.503 slash line to go with a 131 wRC+ and a 3.2 fWAR. This led to him finishing 4th in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Then in 2020 Reynolds took a step back. In a COVID-19 shortened season Reynolds hit for a .189/.275/.357 slash line in 208 plate appearances across 55 games. This included a wRC+ that fell to 72 and a fWAR that fell to 0.0.
Reynolds walk rate did increase in 2020, rising from 8.4% to 10.1%. However, his strikeout rate also went up. After striking out 22.2% of the time in 2019, this number rose to 27.4% during the 2020 season.
If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to compete in 2022 or 2023, they need Reynolds to find his 2019 form. Following his big 2019 season he appeared to have solidified himself as a key member of the Pirate core moving forward. In 2021, for both the immediate and future success of the team, the Pirates need Reynolds to bounce back.
Figuring out what you have in a group of pitchers
Odds are high that the Pirate Opening Day roster will including Jameson Taillon, Mitch Keller, Chad Kuhl, and JT Brubaker. In 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates need to figure out what they have in each of these four pitchers moving forward.
Can Taillon get and stay healthy? If this happens, is he best served as an extension candidate or as a trade candidate? Are Kuhl and Brubaker best suited to work as starting pitchers or relievers? Can Keller put it all together and pitch well?
While Taillon is in a bit of a different boat due to being a free agent after the 2022 season, if one of the other three pitchers can emerge as a quality MLB starting pitcher that would be a big boost for the Pirates’ long term outlook. If two of the three hit, or if another pitcher hits as a reliever, that is also a big plus for the Pirates.
As for Taillon, if he is healthy and pitches well that’s a win-win for the Pittsburgh Pirates. If he pitches well it will help the Pirates win games and will make him an extension candidate. It could also make him a very, very valuable trade chip. Regardless, seeing progression from these four pitchers will be key for the Pirates in 2021.