Pittsburgh Pirates: Two Rookie of the Year Contenders in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates have two prime Rookie Of The Year candidates between Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz. But who has the better chances of winning the award?

Throughout the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates they have just a single National League Rookie of the Year winner. That was Jason Bay in 2004. They’ve had multiple impressive rookie seasons, including last season with reliever David Bednar and in 2019 with Bryan Reynolds. But with the Pirates having a handful of prospects coming up next season, they’ll have plenty of Rookie Of The Year Candidates.

Today, I want to take a look at two prime candidates that have a serious case to compete for the award. These two are top 100 prospects, including one that had a breakout 2021 campaign. They both made their debut in 2021 and will be looking to get regular playing time next season. That’s right-hander Roansy Contreras and infielder Oneil Cruz.

Roansy Contreras

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Roansy Contreras in the Jameson Taillon deal. While at the time he wasn’t a high-end prospect, the right-hander has improved his stock. Last year, he spent most of the season at Double-A Altoona. He pitched 54.1 innings posting a 2.65 ERA, 2.74 FIP, and .90 WHIP. Contreras posted career bests in strikeout rate (34.9%), walk rate (5.5%) while having a strong 0.83 HR/9.

Contreras only gave up 5 homers. However, he had a 47.5% ground ball rate and a line drive rate of just 12.5%. Contreras had a career-high 10.4% HR/FB ratio, so he could likely lower his HR/9 to around 0.5-0.7.

Contreras was eventually promoted to Triple-A where he tossed 3.2 innings giving up a single earned run, walk, and 6 strikeouts. He even ended the season in the major leagues where he tossed 3 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts and one walk. However, his ability to jump to the majors from a short time in the upper minors, as well as posting career-best numbers at Double-A aren’t the only reasons he has significantly increased his prospect stock.

Contreras was also throwing much harder. Coming into the year, he was only averaging 92-94 MPH with his four-seam fastball, topping out at 96 MPH. However, 96 MPH has been much closer to the average. He was touching around 96-98 MPH with about 2500 RPM. Based on his velocity and spin rate, his fastball is a 60-grade or better offering. He’s always had a plus breaking ball, as well as an above-average change-up. His command has been a strong suit, even before the increase in velo. His highest single-season walk rate was just 8.4% in 2018.

Next season Contreras is essentially guaranteed 20-25 starts. Even if service time is still a thing post-CBA negotiations, he’ll be part of the major league rotation by late April to early May. The right-hander is a potential long-term #2 starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He could easily be a National League Rookie of the Year candidate next season.