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What is the best offensive lineup the Pirates can make?
The Pirates offense has been among the worst in the MLB. Let's take a look at what the best lineup the Pirates can make with players inside the organization?
This off-season, the Pirates added multiple veterans in order to help this team get more offensive production and get Pittsburgh inside the playoffs. The Pirates have played 44 games this season and have an overall record of 19-25. Through this stretch of games, the offense has underperformed and been one of the league's worst.
As a team, the Pittsburgh offense currently ranks near the bottom in multiple categories. They are ranked 27th in batting average (.223), 26th in runs per game (3.70), 25th in strikeout percentage (24.4%), 29th in extra-base hit percentage (6.2%), and 28th in on-base plus slugging percentage (.651). They have been quite good at drawing walks which has got them ranked 5th in the entire league at 9.7%.
These numbers are not very good and it is causing the Pirates to lose games. Their starting pitching has been very good this season, but the offense has cost the team many games. Players are playing below expectations, but despite their struggles, there has only been one real change. That was promoting Nick Gonzales for a struggling Alika Williams.
There are other players in the Pirates minor leagues that have outperformed the players on the big league roster, but they have not gotten called up. Some of these players could get the Pirates back to their winning ways, which we saw at the beginning of the year.
Let's take a look at the best offensive lineup that the Pirates could make using players from both the big league roster and minor leagues. This lineup will also not include Ke'Bryan Hayes due to him being on the injured list.
Designated Hitter, Andrew McCutchen
Andrew McCutchen is the lead-off hitter for the Pirates best offensive lineup. He has struggled this season, but stat cast metrics prove that he has been very unlucky. Through 35 games played, McCutchen has a batting average of .213 with six home runs and 11 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .698, which includes an on-base percentage of .320 and a slugging percentage of .378.
McCutchen also has a wRC+ of 101, which is one point above the league's average. One thing that he has struggled with this season is striking out, which is currently at a career-high of 26.5%. The second-highest strikeout percentage in his career is 23%.
Despite having some low hitting numbers, stat cast metrics prove he should be better. His slugging percentage is very low at .358, but his expected slugging percentage is at .515, which is in the 90th percentile. He also is one of the top hitters in the league with a barrel percentage of 18.2%, which is in the 97th percentile, and a hard hit percentage of 50%, which is in the 88th percentile.
McCutchen has also been the most successful this season when he leads off. When he is the first name on the lineup card, he has a batting average of .269 with five home runs and six runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .862, which includes an on-base percentage of .355 and a slugging percentage of .507 in this spot on the lineup card.
Despite the team's struggles, the Pirates face of the franchise has been a solid hitter in the lead-off spot. He will remain the designated hitter for the rest of the season.
Left Field, Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds is the Pirates best overall hitter, which has him in the two spot in the lineup. He is the everyday two hitter for the Pirates already. This season, Reynolds has a .254 batting average with five home runs and 20 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .756, which includes an on-base percentage of .341 and a slugging percentage of .414.
Reynolds has not exactly been the all-star hitter he was a few years ago, but he has still been very good. He has a 116 wRC+ which is 16 points above league average. Reynolds has had a different approach this year. His strikeout percentage has dropped 2.1% from last year to 19.5% and his walk percentage has increased from last year 3.4% to 11.7%.
Stat cast metrics are also in Reynolds favor this season. His batting average this season is at .250, but his expected batting average is at .278, which is in the 82nd percentile. His slugging percentage is decent at .413, but his expected slugging percentage is at .469, which is in the 75th percentile.
Reynolds is not someone to worry about as he has been a consistently good hitter for years in Pittsburgh. He will also vary between the corner outfield spots for the remainder of the season. Hopefully, he can get the bat going even more as the weather starts to warm up.
Shortstop, Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz has been a very exciting hitter for the Pirates all season. He began the season at leadoff, but due to Andrew McCutchen finding success in that spot and Ke'Bryan Hayes getting injured, Cruz has found success when hitting in the three spot.
This season, Cruz has a batting average of .251 with seven home runs and 18 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .723, which includes an on-base percentage of .298 and a slugging percentage of .425. Due to his injury last season, stealing bases has been a concern for re-injury, but he has stolen four bases this season.
Cruz also has an above average wRC+ of 101 which is 1 point above league average. He is hitting for a higher batting average than he has in any other season with the Pirates, but he has continued to strike out a lot. His strikeout percentage is at 33.1% which is lower than 2022, but is still very high.
Cruz has always been known for hitting the ball hard, but the stat cast has him close to the top of the league in various categories. He has an average exit velocity of 94.8 miles per hour, which is in the 99th percentile. His barrel percentage is also high at 14.8%, which is in the 91st percentile, and his hard-hit percentage is also high at 54.6%, which is in the 96th percentile. A new stat has been documented called bat speed and Cruz is ranked second among all qualified hitters. His bat speed is in the 100th percentile at 77.9 miles per hour. The only player he is behind is Giancarlo Stanton who has an average bat speed of 80.6 miles per hour.
Oneil Cruz is a very exciting player to watch and if he cuts down the strikeouts, then he could be one of the top hitters in the MLB. He will also remain at shortstop.
First Base, Connor Joe
Connor Joe has been the leading hitter in the Pirates offense this season. Joe was acquired last offseason and has been a solid hitter ever since. This season, Joe has a batting average of .296 with six home runs and 22 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .868, which includes an on-base percentage of .364 and a slugging percentage of .504.
Joe has a very impressive wRC+ of 145, which is 45 points above the league average. Last year, Joe struck out at a rate of 23.3% and walked at a rate of 10.6%. This year, he has begun being more aggressive at the plate and it has allowed him to drop both of them down. His strikeout percentage is down to 17.9% and his walk percentage is down to 9.3%. He still is walking a decent amount, but the drop in strikeouts is very significant.
Situationally, Joe excels when runners are on base. When runners are in scoring position, Joe has a batting average of .400 with two home runs and 16 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.174, which includes an on-base percentage of .488 and a slugging percentage of .686. This is all in 35 at-bats.
When runners are on base, Connor Joe hits so much better. The clean-up spot in the order is perfect for Joe as he has the best chance to hit with runners on base. While unconventional, it is what will work best for this team currently.
Third Base, Nick Gonzales
Nick Gonzales has impressed many people this season in Indianapolis and recently got called up to the Pirates. Gonzales got called up when Ke'Bryan Hayes originally got hurt, but he earned his call-up. Since being recalled, Gonzales has a batting average of .269 with two home runs and six runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .824, which includes an on-base percentage of .286 and a slugging percentage of .538.
These numbers don't stand out to many because of the small sample size, but he has been hitting the ball very hard and well since being recalled. He does not have enough at-bats to qualify for any percentiles, but his average exit velocity is at 93.0 miles per hour and his barrel percentage is at 8.7%. Both of these numbers are very impressive, but he still has a small sample size in the big leagues.
In triple-a this season, Gonzales posted a batting average of .358 with four home runs and 19 runs batted in. He also had an OPS of 1.039, which includes an on-base percentage of .431 and a slugging percentage of .608. He hit 14 doubles as well.
Last season, Gonzales struck out in triple-a at a rate of 26.6% and in the MLB at a rate of 28.1%. This season in triple-a, Gonzales has cut his strikeout percentage all the way down to 17.5%. His wRC+ with Indianapolis was also very high at 167.
Gonzales was Ben Cherington's first draft pick with the Pirates and it is good that he is finally breaking out at the plate. He has played 127 career innings at third base, but since Hayes is hurt, this is where he will play. When Hayes returns, Gonzales deserves a spot at second base.
Center Field, Ji Hwan Bae
Ji Hwan Bae has been a very solid hitter this year in triple-a. He began the season on the injured list, but got back to playing on a rehab assignment and ultimately was optioned to triple-a. This season, Bae has a batting average of .345 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .973, which includes an on-base percentage of .467 and a slugging percentage of .506.
Bae also has a very impressive wRC+ of 161, but strikeouts remain a big concern. This year, he has a strikeout percentage of 28.7%, which is higher than last year with the Pirates. He also has doubled his walk percentage by increasing it to 17.6%.
One thing the Pirates are missing with Bae is his speed. His sprint speed is in the 97th percentile and last year that translated to 24 stolen bases. This year in triple-a, Bae has stolen seven bases. For the speed he possesses, he should swipe more bags than 24 in a season.
If Ji Hwan Bae cuts down on his strikeouts, he could be a solid hitter in the Pirates lineup. His speed makes him very valuable as it can turn singles or walks into doubles on just one pitch. His speed could definitely contribute to putting more runs on the board. He also provides solid defense in center field.
Right Field, Edward Olivares
Edward Olivares is in the same boat as Andrew McCutchen as he has been a very unlucky hitter this season. Through 28 games played, Olivares has a batting average of .237 with five home runs and 14 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .727, which includes an on-base percentage of .297 and a slugging percentage of .430.
These numbers are not very good at first glance, but stat cast metrics show that he should have better numbers. His expected batting average is .314, which is ranked in the 97th percentile. His expected slugging percentage is at .472, which is in the 77th percentile.
Olivares consistently puts the ball in play, but so far, he has not been getting the results. His strikeout percentage is at a decent 19.6% and his walk percentage is also decent at 7.2%. His wRC+ is at a 106, which is six points above the league average.
Olivares is a newer face to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he is a solid bat in the lineup.
Like McCutchen, it is only a matter of time until his numbers begin to get better. Olivares is an average defender, which puts him in right field. He has shown signs of a plus arm as well which definitely plays.
Catcher, Yasmani Grandal
Yasmani Grandal is another player that began the season on the injured list, but recently he came up and has been productive. Grandal is a veteran catcher the Pirates brought in this season to work with Henry Davis, but that plan has not worked out the way the front office wanted it to.
Since returning from injury, Grandal has a batting average of .212 with two home runs and nine runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .653, which includes an on-base percentage of .229 and a slugging percentage of .424. His wRC+ is also far below the league average at 77 and his strikeout percentage is decent at 17.1%. Grandal is better than his stats suggest.
Grandal brings power to the plate and has shown that with three of his five hits on the season being for extra bases. His stat cast metrics are also in his favor as his expected slugging percentage is at .530. He also has a very impressive barrel percentage of 14.3%, which would be ranked highly if he had enough at-bats.
Grandal has shown to be the best hitting catcher in the Pirates organization. If he continues to display lots of power, then he will remain the starting catcher for the Pirates this season.
Second Base, Liover Peguero
Liover Peguero was a decent rookie last year with the Pirates but only got significant playing time due to Oneil Cruz getting hurt. The front office wanted Peguero to get consistent starting reps this season, which resulted in being optioned to triple-a.
This season, Peguero has posted a batting average of .291 with two home runs and 26 batted in. He also has an OPS of .752, which includes an on-base percentage of .327 and a slugging percentage of .426. He has not hit for as much power as he did with the Pirates last year but has consistently driven in runs with Indianapolis.
Peguero has significantly cut down on strikeouts this season as his strikeout percentage in triple-a is at 23.7%. Last year with the Pirates, it was at a high of 31.5%. He also did not walk a lot but has increased it by one percent this year.
Peguero has been solid this season and would be an improvement for the Pirates offensively. He would be the starting second baseman over Jared Triolo in this offensive lineup.