Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day Roster Prediction

With Opening Day less than a week away let’s take a stab at prediction the Opening Day roster for the 2022 edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Opening Day is just around the corner. At 4:15 PM ET this Thursday, April 7th, the Pittsburgh Pirates will square off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium to start their 2022 season. Before the 2022 edition of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club takes the field for the first time there are still some questions that need answered.

Who will be at second base? Which pitchers will fill out the starting rotation? Which pitchers will the Pittsburgh Pirates send to the bullpen to start the season? What players will Derek Shelton and company pick to fill out the bench?

Today we will take an attempt at answering these questions. What payers will make up the Opening Day roster of the 2022 Pittsburgh Pirates? Let’s play the predicting game.

Infielders – Ke’Bryan Hayes, Kevin Newman, Cole Tucker, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Daniel Vogelbach

Once Oneil Cruz was optioned to Triple-A last week the infield picture started ot become clear. Ke’Bryan Hayes will obviously be the team’s third baseman, while Yoshi Tsutsugo and Daniel Vogelbach will share the duties at first base and as the team’s designated hitter.

Cruz being optioned solidified that Kevin Newman will return for his fourth consecutive season as the team’s starting shortstop. With the spring he has had it is hard ot envision Cole Tucker not being the starter at second base. The former first-round pick has posted a .926 OPS this spring, to go with a pair of home runs and a total of 4 extra base hits. He has also gotten on base at a .333 clip.

What might be most encouraging is Tucker’s new stance/swing. His swing is more compact and gets through the zone quicker. Additionally, he is incorporating his lower body into his swing more which is helping him to generate more power and drive the ball more. It is worth giving him one last chance.

By the mid-to-late summer the Pirate infield could look much different, especially the middle infield. There is definitely a scenario where Hayes is the only one of the group that is still a starter come August.

Hell, odds seem to be high that Cruz could join the bunch within the next couple of weeks. But for now, look for an infield of Hayes-Newman-Tucker-Tsutsugo/Vogelbach, with one of the latter serving as the team’s designated hitter.

Outfield – Greg Allen, Bryan Reynolds, Ben Gamel

This is a position group whose outlook has changed since the start of spring training. At the outset of the spring it appeared that Greg Allen, who was claimed off waivers early in the offseason, would have to earn a roster spot. Not only has Allen earned that roster spot it appears he may have found a home with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Allen has posted a strong 1.145 OPS this spring. He has hit a pair of home runs and gotten on base in more than half his trips to the plate with a .520 on-base percentage. At this point all signs point toward the switch-hitter being the team’s starting left fielder.

While it came in a very small sample size, Allen is coming off a career best season with the New York Yankees in 2021. It is possible that something has finally clicked with the ex-Cleveland outfielder allowing him to turn a corner. Regardless, it is worth the Pittsburgh Pirates giving him an extended look.

Bryan Reynolds needs no explanation. He is the team’s best player and one of the best all-around players in baseball. He should be the center piece for the Pittsburgh Pirates once again this season.

As for Gamel, after posting a 105 wRC+ with the Pirates last season he appeared to be in good shape to earn a starting job in 2022. He ha had a strong spring and appears to have solidified himself as the Opening Day right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Utility men – Diego Castillo, Josh VanMeter, Michael Chavis

The players who make up the Pirate bench along with Michael Pérez will likely be a group of utility players. This means that someone such as outfielder Bligh Madris, who has more than earned the fourth outfielder job, could be on the outside looking in.

As of this writing the best bets for the final three spots on the Pirate bench would appear to be utility men Diego Castillo, Michael Chavis, and the newly acquired Josh VanMeter. Castillo can play third base, shortstop, and second base. Chavis can play first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield spots. Meanwhile, VanMeter can play each infield spot except shortstop, as well as left and right field.

It is hard to envision the Pittsburgh Pirates leaving Castillo off the Opening Day roster. He was acquired in the Clay Holmes trade last summer and then added to the 40-man roster this offseason to ensure he would not become a free agent.

Castillo has followed all of this up with a monster spring. He has done all he can do, and then some, to earn an Opening Day roster spot. Leaving him off the roster would be nothing short of criminal.

With VanMeter out of minor league options it was obvious when the Pittsburgh Pirates traded for him on Thursday that he would be on the Opening Day roster. Derek Shelton then told reporters on Friday that VanMeter was brought in to be on the Opening Day roster.

This leaves one bench spot. The aforementioned Madris has done more than enough to earn that spot and should get the spot if the Pirates go with a true fourth outfielder. Assuming the go the utility route, we’ll give the nod to Michael Cahvis over Hoy Park.

Chavis gets the nod due to him being a right-handed hitter on a roster flooded with left-handed hitters and switch-hitters who hit better from the left side. He also this the ball harder and is a former first-round pick by Cherington. Chavis gets the nod over Park for the final bench spot.

Starting pitchers – José Quintana, Mitch Keller, Zach Thompson, Bryse Wilson, Wil Crowe

We’ll begin with the starting rotation. While some Pirate fans may not like it due to his struggles last season and this spring, veteran lefty José Quintana will bet the starting rotation. The Pittsburgh Pirates need starting pitchers who can take the ball every five days and log innings and Quintana can do that. While Shelton has said they will not announce an Opening Day starting pitcher, look for Quintana to get the ball on Thursday.

Mitch Keller has looked more confident than every this spring and his stuff looks rejuvenated. This has locked down another opportunity, and maybe his best one yet, in the Pirate starting rotation. Zach Thompson has done nothing this spring to not be in the starting rotation, and it could be telling that each of Bryse Wilson’s appearances have been as a starting pitcher.

The final spot goes to Wil Crowe. Like Quintana, Crowe has proven he can take the ball every five days by leading the team in starts last season. While Crowe’s best long-term home is likely in the bullpen, look for him to start the season in there rotation.

Bullpen – David Bednar, Chris Stratton, Heath Hembree, Anthony Banda, Sam Howard, Dillon Peters, JT Brubaker, Duane Underwood Jr., Adonis Medina, Aaron Fletcher

With MLB rosters set to be 28 players instead of 26 for the first month of the season the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely be one of many teams to start the season with a 10 man bullpen. Much of this bullpen will come as no surprise.

David Bednar is coming off a breakout season in 2021, Chris Stratton should be a great setup man, and Heath Hembree was added in free agency. Lefty Anthony Banda pitched well after joining the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer and has looked good this spring. While Sam Howard has taken some lumps his strikeout numbers are hard to ignore, Dillon Peters has done nothing but get batters out since joining the Pirates and Underwood Jr. is a quality long reliever.

JT Brubaker finds himself here instead of the starting rotation. While all of Wilson’s outings this spring have come as a starting pitcher, all of Brubaker’s have been as a reliever. That could be telling.

The final two bullpen spots go to recent waiver wire additions in right-hander Adonis Medina and lefty Aaron Fletcher. Both should be given ample opportunity to prove their worst and stick around past the end of April, but they will start the season as the final two players in the Pirate bullpen and on the Pirate roster.