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The Pirates have now made two moves on the big-league roster in quest to upgrade their awful lineup from 2024. Out of those two players who've been brought in, one was on the team last year, and was actually one of the lone bright spots of the lineup. In other words, they haven't done much to upgrade, merely maintaining the status quo.
Ben Cherington is still not done upgrading the offense, though, as he claimed at the Winter Meetings that they are still looking for a corner outfield bat. As we await to find out who might patrol the ground in right field, let's take a look at what the Pirates' lineup could look like in 2025.
How should Derek Shelton construct the 2025 lineup with the current Pirates roster?
1. Andrew McCutchen, Designated Hitter
The Pirates' leadoff man should be the recently re-signed face of the franchise, Andrew McCutchen. Even at 38, he still brings some power and solid on-base skills. Although he was third on the team in home runs, his best fit in the Pirates lineup is at the top.
Last season, McCutchen belted 20 home runs, 18 doubles, and a triple to create a slugging percentage of .411. That paired with an on-base percentage of .328 to generate an OPS of .739. He walked at a solid 11.4% rate, but struck out at a career high clip of 25.8%. Additionally, he posted a wRC+ of 105 and drove in 50 runs.
2. Bryan Reynolds, Left Field
A summer ago, Bryan Reynolds made it to his second All-Star Game while in the midst of a pretty productive season. Typically, a team's best hitter is second in the lineup, which is where he has hit in the Pirates' lineup for the last few years.
In his solid season, Reynolds batted .275 while hitting 24 home runs and driving in 88 runs. His OPS reached .791, along with a wRC+ of 118 and a slightly below-average strikeout percentage of 22.5%. He put together a high batting run value of 25, which ranks in the 90th percentile across the league.
3. Oneil Cruz, Center Field
One of the big bats in the Pirates' lineup from 2024 was Oneil Cruz, which was his first full season in the majors of his entire career, due to the injury that stole 2023 from him. During the year, he switched from shortstop to center field, which filled in a big hole in the outfield, but opened up another at shortstop. Now the Pirates have solid slugger in center with a big left-handed stick.
After his first full season, Cruz finished with a wRC+ of 110, coming from an OPS of .773, 21 home runs, and 76 runs driven in. He struck out at a high rate of 30.2%, which actually got better at the end of the year, but still finished very high. His top-of-the-league exit velocity (95.5 mph) will serve him greatly in 2025.
4. Joey Bart, Catcher
Early into the 2024 season, the Pirates acquired Joey Bart from the Giants after he was designated for assignment. Although it did not look like a big impact acquisition at the time, he exceeded all expectations and emerged as a top hitter in Pittsburgh's lineup.
Last season, Bart slugged 13 home runs and 11 doubles to make a slugging percentage of .462. That went with an on-base percentage of .337 to generate an OPS of .799. His wRC+ sat at 121 and he struck out at a below-average rate of 25.9%. His power sets him up nicely at cleanup.
5. Spencer Horwitz, First Base
The Pirates acquired Spencer Horwitz at the MLB Winter Meetings in a big trade, which filled in a large hole in the Pirates' lineup. His left-handed stick is much better against right-handed pitching, while struggling against southpaws, but in all, Horwitz put together a solid rookie season in 2024.
In his first major league year, Horwitz batted .265 with an above-average strikeout percentage of 18.4% and a wRC+ of 127. He belted 12 home runs and 19 doubles to generate a slugging percentage of .433, which paired nicely with an on-base percentage of .357 to form an OPS of .790.
6. Nick Gonzales, Second Base
Second base appears to have been locked up after a solid season from Nick Gonzales. He still has a lot of room to grow, but the steps he took in 2024 represent great signs that he can be an above-average hitter at the plate down the road.
Last season, Gonzales drove in 49 runs, along with belting seven home runs and 19 doubles. His OPS reached .709, along with a slightly below-average wRC+ of 94 and a solid strikeout rate of 19.1%. He was also very clutch, posting a wRC+ of 138 in high-leverage situations.
7. Joshua Palacios, Right Field
Right field is likely a position that the Pirates will upgrade before the end of the offseason, but as it sits right now, Joshua Palacios is the starting right fielder. His overall numbers were not great in his short stint in 2024, but his Statcast numbers show he could have real value moving forward.
In his small sample size of 23 games in Pittsburgh, Palacios put together an OPS of .677 with a wRC+ of 93. He hit balls hard at an impressive rate of 47.3%, and had a solid average exit velocity of 89.8 mph. He barely chased bad pitches, at an outstanding clip of just 22.4%, and had a high walk percentage of 12.8%.
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Shortstop
The only big league acquisition remaining from the MLB Trade Deadline is Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Although he struggled during the second half with Pittsburgh in 2024, the Pirates just hired a hitting coach who was a big reason for his success prior to coming to Pittsburgh. His overall season wasn't horrible, and Pittsburgh should expect a return to form under Matt Hague.
Last season, Kiner-Falefa batted .269 with eight home runs, driving in 43. His OPS sat at just .683, which is low due to his extremely low walk rate of 3.2%. Additionally, his wRC+ reached 93 and he struck out at a clip of just 15.7%.
9. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Third Base
One rebound the Pirates need to see is from Ke'Bryan Hayes, with all signs point towards him improving if he remains healthy. Getting Hayes back to swinging like he did in the second half of 2023 is important, but Pittsburgh cannot afford for him to swing like he did in 2024.
In his poor showing from 2024, Hayes put together an OPS of .573, which came from an on-base percentage of .283 and a slugging percentage of .290. His wRC+ was horrible at 59, but he was able to strike out at a career low of 18.9%.
It appears that the Pirates are just one more bat away from having a productive lineup. If they can secure an everyday player in right field, then this lineup will pair nicely with the team's great starting rotation.