Spring training battles to watch for the Pittsburgh Pirates

These three position battles will be ones for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates to watch this spring

On Wednesday, pitchers and catchers will report to Bradenton and spring training will be underway for the Pittsburgh Pirates. For each MLB club part of spring training each year is position battles. That will be the case for the Pirates this spring.

Looking ahead to spring training, which battles should fans of the Pirates be watching? Today, we will delve into three battles that could be the talk of Pirate camp. These battles could come down to the final days of spring training.

Final two spots in the starting rotation

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates have added Marco Gonzales and Martín Pérez this offseason, their starting rotation is still filled with question marks. Behind those two additions and Mitch Keller, the Pirate starting rotation is filled with question marks.

Roansy Contreras, Bailey Falter, Quinn Priester, and Luis Ortiz will compete for the final two spots in the starting rotation. A trio of veterans added via minor league deals, could compete for a rotation spot as well. However, it seems unlikely that any of Wily Peralta, Brent Honeywell, or Connor Sadzeck will crack the Opening Day roster.

How things shake out at the back of Pirate starting rotation could hinge on performance this spring. That said, Contreras and Falter are both out of minor league options, which should work in their favor in terms of cracking the Opening Day roster, even if one or both of them start the season in the Pirate bullpen.

There is a possibility the Pirates view Priester as a pitcher who has maxed out his staff, leaving him with little room to grow in the minors. If that is the case, Priester could earn a spot in the rotation as Pirate brass may believe it's time to see what they have in Priester. This is likely the opposite of Ortiz who flashed plus stuff in 2022, and the Pirates may want him to work toward recapturing that stuff at Triple-A to start the season.

Prediction: Roansy Contreras, Quinn Priester

Right field

Throughout the offseason Ben Cherington expressed an interest in addressing the Pirate outfield. Specifically, he expressed a desire to add help in center field. Well, that did not happen which will likely make Jack Suwinski the team's Opening Day center fielder.

Assuming Suwinski is in center field, that creates a competition in right field. As of now, the three main competitors for the job in right field appear to be Andrew McCutchen, Edward Olivares, and Billy McKinney.

Last season, the Pirates wanted McCutchen to play in the field more than he did. However, an elbow issue relegated him to mostly designated hitter duties. While they would likely prefer to use Cutch in right field this year, and he will probably play there more than last season, let's assumer he'll once again be the team's primary DH.

On December 14th, the Pirates acquired McKinney via trade from the New York Yankees. One day later, the team acquired Olivares via trade from the Kansas City Royals. Now, the two may find themselves platooning in right field.

McKinney made some changes to his approach at the plate last season that led to improved offensive success. Olivares will bring intriguing power to the Pirate outfield situation, especially against left-handed pitching.

Derek Shelton has often times seemed to prefer to ease young hitters into larger roles as part of a platoon situation. That combined with the improvements McKinney made last season and him being the better defender of the two could lead to a McKinney/Olivares platoon in right field.

Connor Joe could also compete for playing time in right field, but will most likely be used as a platoon partner with Rowdy Tellez at first base. If things go south for him behind the plate, Henry Davis could see playing time in right field once again. However, the Pirates will give him every opportunity and then some to stick behind the dish.

Prediction: Edward Olivares/Billy McKinney platoon