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Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 Potential Breakout Candidates
These three players could be in line for a breakout season with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Every baseball season there are breakout players for each team. Looking at the 2023 edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates there are potential breakout candidates to discuss. Today, we will talk about three breakout candidates for the Pirates this season.
This group will only include players who will be starting the season on the team's major league roster. Sure, there are prospects who could have breakout seasons in the majors, but that is a discussion we will have another time.
Second baseman Rodolfo Castro
Entering spring training second base was a battle between Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae. While neither played seized the position, both made the team's Opening Day roster and will both be given ample opportunities this season. However, it appears that Castro will likely get the start at second base on Thursday.
This will present a great opportunity for Castro. Since he made his MLB debut in the summer of 2021 it may be hard to believe, but Castro is still just 23-years-old. There is reason to believe there is still plenty of growth in Castro as a player. This potential growth makes him a prime breakout candidate for 2023.
Castro being a breakout candidate goes deeper than just his potential growth. Last season, he hit for a .233/.299/.427 slash line to go with a 103 wRC+ and 102 OPS+ while slugging 11 home runs in 278 major league plate appearances.
Castro's overall stats do not paint the full picture for his season, however. In early June he was optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis. Castro then returned to the majors on August 9th. He had 200 PAs after being recalled, hitting for a .247/.310/.478 slash line to go with a 119 wRC+, 8.5% walk rate, 10 of his 11 home runs, and a 10.4% extra base hit rate. If the Pirates get that version of Castro for a full season he would lockdown the second base position for the next few years.
Starting pitcher Johan Oviedo
It may have only happened due to JT Brubaker starting the season on the injured list, but 25-year-old righty Johan Oviedo will start the season in the Pirate starting rotation. That said, being in the MLB starting rotation is what's best for Oviedo and it's where he needed to be to start the season.
Oviedo made seven starts with the Pirates last September and flashed immense potential. He posted a 3.23 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 11.9% walk rate, and a 20.9% strikeout rate in 30.2 innings across these seven starts.
Overall for the season he posted a 3.21 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 9.5% walk rate, 22.3% strikeout rate, and a 0.80 HR/9 in 56.0 innings pitched. Between the Pirates and Cardinals he pitched in 21 games, with eight of them being starts.
Both Oviedo's fastball and slider can be plus pitches. His curveball has plus potential as well, and he was working on adding a power sinker this spring. There are plenty of tools in the toolbox for Oviedo and seeing him cement himself as a long-term starting rotation building block this season would not be a surprise.
Relief pitcher Dauri Moreta
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Dauri Moreta from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Kevin Newman during the offseason. In 42 MLB innings Moreta owns a 5.14 ERA, 5.76 FIP, 8.0% walk rate, 24.7% striekout rate, and a 2.36 HR/9.
Despite these struggles, the young righty could be in position for a breakout campaign this season.
First off, and most importantly, Moreta has the stuff to breakout. His fastball velocity ranked in the 84th percentile of baseball last year while ranking in the 59th percentile of spin rate. The pitch limited opposing batters to a .190 batting average, .333 slugging percentage, and generated a 26.0% whiff rate. His slider could be an elite pitch, limiting opponents to a .103 average and .207 slugging while generating a 48.9% whiff rate. The changeup could be a plus pitch as well after generating a 24.6% whiff rate and limiting opponents to a .212 avergae last season.
A second reason for optimism with Moreta is how he pitched after returning to the majors last season. Moreta was optioned to the minors in May and returned to the Cincinnati bullpen a month later. From June 19th through the end of the season he pitched 24.2 innings, posting a 2.92 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 7.2% walk rate, 23.7% strikeout rate, and a 1.02 HR/9. It appears something was starting to click with Moreta.
Finally, there is how well Moreta pitched this spring. While he did allow 10 hits in 9.2 innings pitched, he did not allow a home run, walked just one batter and struck out 13. This led to Moreta allowing just 3 earned runs (2.79 ERA).
It would not be a surprise to see the 26-year-old Moreta emerge as a reliable high-leverage situation arm out of the Pirate bullpen this season.
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