Pittsburgh Pirates: Players Set for MLB Breakout in 2022

Starting pitcher Roansy Contreras

Roansy Contreras is another Pirate prospect who made his 2021 MLB debut during the final series of the season. Contreras was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in January when they sent Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees.

Contreras currently sits as the 6th ranked Pirate prospect. Contreras had a good season aside from missing a few starts. The 22-year-old threw 58 innings over 13 games and held an ERA of 2.64 accompanied by 82 strikeouts, a 3-2 record, and a 0.93 WHIP.

Contreras uses a fastball, curveball, slider, and a changeup as his pitches, favoring his four-seamer. He can throw into the 90s with his fastball and changeup but reaches the low-to-mid 80s with his slider and curveball.

Roansy had a much better ERA than any Pirate starter in 2021 and also had a better record and would’ve had the 4th-most strikeouts on the team, starting pitcher-wise. Roansy’s timeline to Pittsburgh is unknown but what is known is that he will join the Pirates sometime this season, it’s even possible that he could be on the Opening Day roster.