Pittsburgh Pirates: Players Set for MLB Breakout in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates farm system is loaded throughout all levels, but these five prospects are expected to leave the MiLB and join the team up in Pittsburgh for this upcoming season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have more than these 5 prospects who are expected to appear in a big-league uniform. These are some of the most anticipated players from the minor leagues and are supposed to be a part of the long-term plan in Pittsburgh. I’m sure you can guess almost all of these players but they are fun to talk about. Here are the 5 prospects who are supposed to contribute to some wins this season.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz is currently Pittsburgh’s 3rd ranked prospect and the MLB’s 52nd ranked prospect. The 23-year old is all shaped up to be the future at the shortstop position. Cruz spent his season with 3 levels of baseball, Double-A, Triple-A, and the majors. Through his 271 at-bats of the minor league season, he hit .310/.375/.970 with 17 HR, 47 RBI, and 19 SB. Those 19 stolen bases are a big part of his game and are what the Pirates have been missing. Pittsburgh stole 60 bases during the 2021 campaign, which ranked in the league’s bottom 10, and stole just 16 in 2020, although it was a shortened season, Pittsburgh was still bottom 3 in the category. Oneil Cruz should steal some bases along with the other prospects who are coming up.

Cruz brings many elements from his game to the organization that lacks in a lot of places offensively and defensively. Cruz’s height makes him more probable to go after line-outs that go over his head. Oneil Cruz made his MLB debut during the home stretch of the 2021 season, he already hit some of the career-first markers and now won’t be pressured to try and swing for the fences at every at-bat.

Second baseman Nick Gonzales

Nick Gonzales had himself a year of firsts. Even though he was drafted with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, he did not play in any of the minor league teams because of the cancelation for the minor league season in 2020.

Gonzales is Pittsburgh’s 4th overall prospect and the MLB’s 62nd. Gonzales is currently proving why he should make it to the show in 2022 by tearing up the Arizona Fall League (AFL). Nick slashed .382/.482/.559 through 83 plate appearances and also smacked 2 HR, 13 RBI, and stole 4 bases during the fall season. The 22-year-old also made the AFL All-Star team with fellow minor-league teammates.

As for his first year in the Pirate system Gonzales played for the Greensboro Grasshoppers and slashed .302/.385/.565 with 18 HR, 54 RBI, and stole 7 bases over 324 at-bats. Gonzales would have to rise through the ranks quickly to get to Pittsburgh this season, but with a hole at the second base position, he could be called up straight from Double-A like Rodolfo Castro was in 2021.

His power and hitting abilities already make him a terror at the plate and in a Pirate offense where there aren’t many splash players, once he finds his grove Nick Gonzales will stand out on this Pittsburgh team.

First baseman Mason Martin

Mason Martin blasted onto the scene with the Low-A and High-A teams in 2019 which earned him a promotion to Double-A Altoona for the 2021 season and later saw him once again promoted, this time to Triple-A Indianapolis at the end of the minor league season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have not had a notable first baseman in quite some time so the emergence of Mason Martin is hopefully giving Pirates’ fans hope. Martin slashed .241/.317/.487 while hitting 25 HR, 81 RBI, and 106 hits over his time in Double-A and Triple-A. The slash line isn’t impressive if you compare it to the others above, but this infielder seems to sparkle when it comes to power but still can get on base. In 2019, Martin hit 35 HR and 129 RBI while batting an average of .254, so there is something there other than power.

On the defense side of things, Martin is a solid defender and has never had a knack for committing errors. He could surely take over at the position and be a continuous pick-artist. The 22-year-old should arrive in 2022 if everything goes well. He is most likely to come aboard in September of 2022 rather than the start or halfway point of the season like others. Of course, that may all be whipped out because the organization did not protect him for the upcoming Rule 5 draft, so if he is drafted by any other team he will not be appearing in Pittsburgh anytime soon.

Outfielder Travis Swaggerty

Travis Swaggerty could very likely start the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Swaggerty would join Bryan Reynolds in the outfield and hopefully join his Triple-A teammates in the starting lineup at PNC Park.

Swaggerty had an unfortunate season as he saw only 12 games due to a dislocated shoulder and did not return that season. A first-round choice in 2018, Swaggerty provides contact with the ball and consistency in getting on base. The 24-year old would also be stealing a lot of bases this year and MLB.com gave him a 60 graded run tool, so it is kind of implied. At this point, it’s a little difficult to predict the Pirates’ Opening Day lineup, but if Swaggerty does what he is best at then he and a few others should start the season off strong.

Another upside about Travis is his fielding. Swaggerty has only 9 errors over his 3 years in Pittsburgh’s farm system and usually gets outs wherever he throws to the infield. Like his running grade, his fielding grade tops off at 60 and that is his main attraction. The Pirates had some of the worst defense in the outfield last year, but many capable outfielders can get the job done, and Travis Swaggerty is one of them.

There are more Pittsburgh Pirates whose expected to arrive in 2022 but these are the most talked about. I know prospects are never a guaranteed success but the expectation is that these players will be a part of the team for years to come and give the Pirates the best chance to take home a World Series title.