PBN Around the Horn

PBN Around the Horn: Who Could Fill in As an Opener For Pirates?

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2022

Monday, April 25th, your Pittsburgh Pirates have an off day (sad face); the good news for you Pirates fans is that they are back to .500. (happy face) Since today is an off day, I figured we could shake today’s Around the Horn up a little bit and get a good ole list in.

Since Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherington discussed the possibility of them using an opener, the ole noodle started to think of who could fit that role for now. I know what you’re thinking, and no, David Bednar, Wil Crowe, and Dillon Peters should stay exactly where they are.

Potential Openers

RHP Chase De Jong: Known as another journeyman on the Pirates roster, De Jong isn’t going to surprise you most of the time. His M.O. has been fastball high, curveball low. You probably aren’t going to get away with De Jong as a long opener, but if you want an inning, or two (max), De Jong could find a nice little role for the time being.

RHP Max Kranick- Currently on a rehab assignment in Triple-A, Kranick is more than likely close to getting called back up to the Majors. With Kranick’s fastball consistently hitting 98-99 MPH in his last appearance in Triple-A, he could be a perfect fit for the opener role. If the Pirates allow, Kranick, to use his fastball/curveball combo once through the order, he too could solve some issues.

Are there any other openers you would like the Pirates to use? Are you even a fan of the opener? Let us know in the comments!