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Pittsburgh Pirates: Way-to-Early Look at End of 2023 Roster
By Noah Wright
Shortstop
I still have Oneil Cruz at the top of the depth chart for the end of 2023. Cruz had a solid rookie campaign, slashing .233/.294/.450 with a .320 wOBA and 106 wRC+. He only walked 7.8% of the time, which didn’t help offset the 34.9% strikeout rate, but Cruz hit 17 dingers and had a .218 isolated slugging percentage. Plus, he ended the season on a high note.
From August 28th through the end of the year, which was a total of 149 trips to the plate, Cruz batted .284/.356/.537 with a .383 wOBA and 149 wRC+. Cruz hit seven home runs with seven doubles, and three triples, leading to a .254 ISO. He also upped his walk rate to 9.4% and cut his K% down to 30.2%. He cut his K% down even further to just 25.6% from mid-September onward.
The downside is Cruz’s defense is shaky. While he has arguably the strongest arm in Major League Baseball and put up +1 DRS at shortstop, he also had a -15.6 UZR/150 and -8 outs above average in just 678 innings up the middle. The Pirates did throw him in left field for a few games at Triple-A, but I wouldn’t consider him an outfielder just yet. He easily has the speed to make it in the grass, but time will tell if he ever gets pushed off of shortstop.
Liover Peguero would likely take his place if Cruz gets pushed off shortstop. Now Peguero did not have a great season at Double-A Altoona, having just a .692 OPS, .306 wOBA, and 88 wRC+. But the Pirates were confident enough in him to promote him for a game this year, and he was much younger than the average Double-A player. Unless Peguero comes out of the gates like second-half Endy, I think he’s more of a late-season promotion.
Regardless, I think the Pirates will still end 2023 with Cruz at shortstop, with Peguero backing him in the last weeks of the season. Triolo will also likely be part of the shortstop picture, albeit in less of a role and more serving as a utility man.