3 prospects the Pirates should have opened the year with on their roster

The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a less than thrilling start to open the year. While there is plenty of argument over who should have made the team’s Opening Day roster, there are definitely a few certainties involved.

There are a few obvious players the Pirates could have really benefited from if they'd opened the year on the active roster. While the Bucs understandably want these players to get regular playing time at their normal positions down in the minors, Pittsburgh still would have likely received something close to that level of success in the majors if this trio had started the year on the big league roster.

3 Pirates prospects who should've started the season on the MLB roster

3. Billy Cook

Billy Cook was a prospect the Pirates acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline. The outfielder/first baseman made his MLB debut late into the year and showed some promise on multiple fronts. He crushed three home runs with a 92.6 MPH exit velocity and 13.3% barrel percentage. His 93rd percentile sprint speed made him one of the fastest players in baseball last year. Cook racked up +6 defensive runs saved, +2 outs above average, and two outfield assists in just 85 innings. On top of that, he made some slick plays at first base.

However, there were some obvious red flags. Cook did not draw a single walk in his 49 MLB plate appearances, and had a chase rate of 36.9%. Although his chase rate looked like a free-swinging contact batter like Luis Arraez, he also swung and missed nearly 40% of the time with a 39.8% whiff rate. This led to him striking out 19 times.

Cook’s brief Major League call-up was deserved, however. He slashed .276/.375/.474 with a .377 wOBA and 124 wRC+ in the minors. He also went yard 17 times with a .199 isolated slugging percentage while using his elite speed to swipe 25 bases in 31 tries. He also drew a walk in 12% of his trips to the dish. But neither his 23.9% strikeout rate nor 28.9% whiff rate at Triple-A were anything to write home about.

While it is understandable the Pirates want Cook to get regular playing time, they could have easily still found ways to get Cook into games regularly at the MLB level, even when he isn’t starting. Cook could have still replaced Endy Rodriguez late in games as a defensive replacement or, in cases when he gets on base, as a pinch runner. He could also be utilized as a pinch hitter for Rodriguez if the opponent puts in a left-handed reliever. With how good Cook’s defense looked in the outfield, he could also see playing time as a part-time/fourth outfielder as well.

Even once Spencer Horwitz returns, Cook could still find himself playing a role in games on a regular basis. Horwitz gets on base at a high rate, but was below the tenth percentile of sprint speed. Being able to replace him with Cook's 93rd percentile sprint speed late into games if he gets on-base would be very valuable. Cook would also be a solid platoon bat to offset Horwitz. He could still replace an outfielder late in games as a defensive replacement or pinch hitter/runner.