Pittsburgh Pirates Set for Notable Internal Roster Improvement

The 26-man roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates should see an improvement in 2022 from players within the organization already.

The Pittsburgh Pirates should see improvement with their roster in 2022. So much so that I’d even make the bold prediction that they might even push for .500 record. With the amount of young talent coming up through the system, it’s easy to see why.

Much of the improvement that is likely coming for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022 season will come from within. As a result there will be plenty of internal help that will give this team potential success in 2022.

Let’s start with the infield. The elephant in the room is Oneil Cruz. Everyone knows that Cruz will likely be a regular in the starting line-up by mid-May, at the very latest. Cruz should provide a massive improvement over Kevin Newman, who has statistically been the worst batter in Major League Baseball the last two seasons.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a myriad of options at second base, with Michael Chavis currently having the inside track for the position. But both Diego Castillo and Rodolfo Castro are two potential early-season call-ups, and both already have experience at Triple-A, where they have performed exceptionally well. Ji-Hwan Bae is another possible middle-infield promotion we see closer to June, given he hasn’t seen time at Indianapolis yet.

Then there’s the outfield.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Pirates are set on opening the season with Ben Gamel and Anthony Alford flanking Bryan Reynolds in center. It’s not that great of a trio outside of Reynolds, but that could change early into the year. Travis Swaggerty would have gotten a shot in the majors in 2021 had it not been for a dislocated shoulder. Hopefully, he’s at full strength, and the injury won’t limit his power potential.

Matt Fraizer will join Swaggerty at Indianapolis, who had a phenomenal breakout season in 2021. Swaggerty will likely be the first call-up given that he already has some experience at Triple-A and did solid. However, Frazier is a guy we may see in late May through early June.

They won’t be the only notable outfield capable prospects at Triple-A Indianapolis. Potential power hitter Jack Suwinski will also be considered for a first half of the season promotion to the majors. Canaan Smith-Njigba is another corner outfielder we may see in the campaign’s first half. If Cal Mitchell survives the Rule 5 Draft, he may also be considered major league playing time in 2022.

Suwinski did have a solid 2021 season at Double-A Altoona and will be alongside many of the other hitters at Indy. Bae has the potential to be a consideration for multiple positions, given he started to play center field this past season.

The pitching staff should also see its fair share of improvement from within. The Pirates are almost sure to find at least one solid arm amongst Mitch Keller, Bryse Wilson, Max Kranick, JT Brubaker, Dillon Peters, and Wil Crowe. Though even if all they find is one or two decent pitchers among that group, they still have a few prospects who should make up the top-end of the starting five.

Roansy Contreras, like Cruz, is a guy that should be getting regular play in the majors by mid-May at the latest. In the second half of the year, we could start seeing 2020 first-round competitive balance pick Carmen Mlodzinski start getting regular innings in the major leagues. That’s two very notable prospects joining the likes of Zach Thompson and Miguel Yajure, who should open 2022 as part of the Opening Day rotation.

Currently, this is what I have projected as the starting rotation and lineup by the end of the season compared to their current projected Opening Day counterparts:

C: Roberto Perez (Opening Day: Roberto Perez)
1B: Mason Martin (Opening Day: Yoshi Tsutsugo)
2B: Ji-Hwan Bae (Opening Day: Michael Chavis)
3B: Ke’Bryan Hayes (Opening Day: Hayes)
SS: Oneil Cruz (Opening Day: Kevin Newman)
LF: Matt Fraizer (Opening Day: Anthony Alford)
CF: Bryan Reynolds (Opening Day: Reynolds)
RF: Travis Swaggerty (Opening Day: Ben Gamel)
DH: Yoshi Tsutsugo (Opening Day: N/A currently)

SP #1: Roansy Contreras (Opening Day: JT Brubaker)
SP #2: Carmen Młodziński (Opening Day: Bryse Wilson)
SP #3: Miguel Yajure (Opening Day: Yajure)
SP #4: Zach Thompson (Opening Day: Thompson)
SP #5: Mitch Keller (Opening Day: Keller)

Based on that, how can you not look at what is coming up through the farm system and not see a reasonably solid team that could win 70-75 games? Many of those prospects are going to see a month plus of playing time. You could turn to multiple alternatives as well, given that this isn’t considering someone like Diego Castillo, Jack Suwnski, Cal Mitchell, Tucupita Marcano, Rodolfo Castro, Canaan Smith-Njigba, or Max Kranick. The Pirates should see their fair share of improvement next year, with most of it coming from within the organization with prospects.