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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Players Left Off Roster Fans Will See
As the Pittsburgh Pirates work toward finalizing their Opening Day roster, these three players are ones who did not make the roster that fans should expect to see this season
Thursday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to the Windy City to kick off their 2021 season. At 2:20 PM EST Kyle Hendricks will fire the first pitch of his season to Adam Frazier, and with that the 2021 MLB season will be underway for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
As the Pirates work to trim their active roster down to 26 players prior to Thursday afternoon’s opener at Wrigley Field more roster decisions are coming. Thus far, Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton and the rest of the Pirate brass have already made plenty of roster decisions this spring.
Among the players who have already been optioned to Triple-A or reassigned to the minors, there are plenty that fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates will still see with the Major League club this season. While some of these, such as highly touted pitching prospects Miguel Yajure and Cody Bolton, are obvious, others are not. Today, we will discuss three such players by taking a look at three under-the-radar players that will not start the season with the Pirates, but fans are likely to see with the team at some point this season.
Right-Handed Pitcher Chase De Jong
Pitcher Chase De Jong was one of the final cuts the Pittsburgh Pirates made this spring. With his performance in the Grapefruit League De Jong earned the right to nearly make the Opening Day roster and pitched himself into being a player who will likely see MLB time this season.
De Jong was a one-time highly touted prospect. However, after bouncing around four organizations he was never able to reach his full potential. In 2020 De Jong started to scratch the surface of this potential when he made the ALCS roster of the Houston Astros, but he was not brought back by the Astros following the season.
This spring De Jong showed why he was once considered to be a highly touted minor leaguer. He displayed a fastball with movement that opposing batters struggled to square up and a sharp curveball that was nearly un-hittable.
In five Grapefruit League games pitched De Jong posted a 1.77 ERA in 14.1 innings of work. De Jong allowed just nine hits, one home run, he walked three and struck out seven in his 14.1 innings of work down in Florida.
De Jong will work at the Pirates’ alternate training site to remain stretched out. When the minor league season begins De Jong will likely join the starting rotation at Triple-A Indianapolis. Regardless if it is as a starter or a reliever, odds are, De Jong will see Major League time with the Pittsburgh Pirates at some point this season.
Outfielder Troy Stokes Jr.
Few players turned more heads with the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring than outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. The right-handed hitting Stokes Jr. was impressive at the plate while flashing plus defense in the outfield.
In 33 at-bats this spring Stokes Jr. slugged .424, while hitting a pair of home runs and collecting a double. He used his speed to be a menace on the base paths and his defense in the outfield was jaw dropping at times.
This spring, the former Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers farmhand looked like a player who belongs on a MLB roster as a fourth outfielder. While the Pirates did not have a spot for the 25-year-old Stokes Jr. on the Opening Day roster, it would be a surprise if he does not see any MLB time this season.
Between injuries, trades, players not performing, etc., the Pittsburgh Pirates will need to dip into the minor leagues for bench help this season. When that time comes, Stokes Jr. could be one of the first players they turn to.
Like De Jong, Stokes Jr. will start the season at the Pirates’ alternate training site. When the minor league season begins he will find himself in the outfield for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Utility Man Rodolfo Castro
This is one that is a bit more off the radar. Earlier in the offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates added utility prospect Rodolfo Castro to their 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Had Castro not been added to the 40-man roster, odds are, he would have been selected in the Rule 5 Draft. While he has not played above the High-A level, Castro is a switch-hitting prospect with plus power potential. He can also play third base, shortstop, second base and the outfield. All of this adds up to making him an intriguing, valuable prospect.
Prior to being reassigned to the minor league portion of camp Castro accumulated 21 at-bats in 14 games this spring. While he had just three hits, two of them were a home run with the third being a hit giving him a .476 slugging percentage. His power potential was on full display this spring.
When the minor league season begins Castro will likely find himself with Double-A Altoona. If all goes according to plan, he will make it to Triple-A Indianapolis at some point this summer. This would put Castro in line for a potential promotion to the Majors this September.
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Castro’s long-term role is likely as a utility bench player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His role could be similar to the one Josh Harrison once played, just with more power. Do not be surprised if you see Castor begin to play this role for the Pirates at some point late in the 2021 season.