Pittsburgh Pirates: What 2022 Could Hold for 3 Fringe Roster Players

The Pittsburgh Pirates will likely have many opportunites to give players a shot at playing time in 2022. So what could next season hold for these three position players?

Previously, I went over what 2022 could hold for three different pitchers. All three were arms who had some major league experience, albeit not much but have the potential to play an important role with the ‘22 Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a handful of position players who also have little major league experience but could play a potential role in 2022.

There are quite a few players on the Pirate roster who currently fit that description. They’ll likely get a chance for, at the very least, semi-regular playing time given that the Pirates have a ton of prospects, but some still need another year or so to fully develop. While these guys aren’t the cream of the crop, the Nick Gonzales or Henry Davis of the farm, they still have good potential.

Next year, the Pittsburgh Pirates could see some decent improvement and these three could contribute to that improvement.

Hoy Park

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired utility man Hoy Park at the trade deadline. He, along with another infield prospect in Diego Castillo, made their way to Pittsburgh in exchange for then struggling right-handed reliever Clay Holmes. At the time of the trade, Park was crushing the ball at Triple-A.

Through 223 plate appearances, Park was batting .327/.475/.567 with a .452 wOBA, and 180 wRC+. He had a 20.6% walk and strikeout rate, as well as a .240 isolated slugging percentage. This kind of power was pretty much unheard of for Park. His single-season high going into 2021 was just .108. Park’s 10 home runs in these 223 PAs also outdid any previous single-season career-high.

Though he didn’t immediately translate those Triple-A numbers to MLB success. Park collected 150 plate appearances (149 with the Pirates) batting just .195/.297/.336 with a .279 wOBA, and 73 wRC+. He was still walking at a healthy 12% pace, but it was about the only thing of note to come from his bat. He did show a high level of versatility as he graded out as an average or better defender at second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions in his small sample size.

But there is some hope Park can figure things out in a more regular/semi-regular role. His last month of the season saw him bat for a solid .203/.351/.390 line, .323 wOBA, and 102 wRC+. Park showed a very good ability to reach base, and also had a .186 isolated slugging percentage. Pretty decent numbers for a guy who provided plus defense at multiple positions.

Park will likely start the 2022 season on the Major League roster. He’s in the running for the job at second base. Even if he serves just a utility role, he’ll be more than valuable. I doubt that his 2021 power breakout is fully sustainable as his batted ball profile remained relatively the same as in years past. But is a guy who can bat .260/.350/.380 out of the question? Absolutely not.

Park has always displayed a strong ability to reach base at a high rate. His lowest single-season walk rate is still 10.6%. If Park can hit for even a little bit of average, he’ll be a very good on-base/leadoff kind of hitter. But that’s going to come with a lack of power. This was the first time he had a single-season ISO above .110 throughout a single season.

Rodolfo Castro

The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Rodolfo Castro his first taste of MLB action earlier in 2021. He came up and showed a ton of power potential, blasting 5 home runs in 93 plate appearances while having an above-average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. But he failed to make consistent contact, or draw walks at a decent enough rate.

Castro’s 2021 minor league season was a tale of two campaigns. Up through the All-Star Break, the infield prospect was one of the hottest hitting minor leaguers for the Pirates he batted .306/.349/.549 with a .380 wOBA, and 138 wRC+. However, from that point until he got promoted to Triple-A, Castro simply could not hit for whatever reason. He put up an abysmal .109/.180/.163 line while having a negative wRC+ (-4).

But after getting to Triple-A, Castro seemed to have figured out what was wrong. He only appeared in 8 games and received 38 plate appearances, but he collected 10 hits. Three of those were home runs and two more were doubles. He still had a poor 28.9% strikeout rate, but his walk rate increased to a usable 7.9% mark.

While Park is an infield prospect who’s a potential .250-.260 hitter who has a strong ability to draw walks and reach base, but not much power, Castro is the complete opposite. He’s a potential .250-.260 hitter who doesn’t draw many walks but has good power. He hasn’t put up a sub-.150 ISO in a minor league season since 2016, his first taste of professional action. However, his career minor league OBP is just .308.

Castro might have his flaws, but he’s still a solid infield prospect with power. On-base ability and walking might not be his strongest suit, but he’ll provide a solid power bat. He’s a guy who could hit .230/.290/.450 with 18-20 home runs in a part-time role. Overall, solid numbers for a guy who could be a holdover option until both Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales are ready for the Majors.