Perrotto: Additions Have One Pirate Dreaming of October in December (+)
PITTSBURGH — JT Brubaker is about as grizzled a veteran that can be found on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. Not that the right-hander has exactly been around forever.
Brubaker has just three years of major league service time. Yet he is one of just four Pirates players remaining from the 2020 season, the first with general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton in charge.
That short list also includes righty Mitch Keller, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, and center fielder Bryan Reynolds.
Brubaker has experienced a whole lot of losing since making his major league debut on the second day of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Pirates have gone 142-242 over the last three seasons and lost 101 games in 2021 and 100 games in 2022.
Thus, Brubaker is extremely excited about what the Pirates have done so far during the offseason. In a pleasant reversal, Cherington is adding legitimate big-league players rather than subtracting.
First, the Pirates traded for Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Then they signed designated hitter/first baseman Carlos Santana as a free agent.
The two proven hitters should bolster an offense that was 27th in the major leagues in runs scored last season and 28th in on-base percentage.
“It’s awesome,” Brubaker said with a smile Thursday night while making promotional and charitable appearances for the Pirates at PNC Park.
“It’s always about moving forward, whether it’s development on the field, camaraderie off the field, whatever. I definitely feel like we’re moving forward by adding Choi and Santana. It’s going to be awesome to have them on the field and in the clubhouse. They are going to make us a better team.”
Choi hit .233/.341/.388 with 11 home runs in 113 games for the Rays. He spent most of the season playing through an elbow injury that required arthroscopic surgery last month.
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Santana batted .202/.316/.372 with 19 home runs in 131 games combined with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners.
Choi’s OPS+ of 114 meant he was 14% above major league average offensively. Santana was right at league average with a 100 OPS+.
The moves might not vault the Pirates into contention for a playoff spot. However, Choi and Santana provide an upgrade to one of baseball’s weaker lineups.
Brubaker certainly would appreciate more run support along with the rest of the pitching staff. However, he is just as excited about what Santana and Choi will bring to a clubhouse devoid of veteran leadership, particularly after the trades of Jose Quintana and Daniel Vogelbach last season.
Santana’s ebullient nature during his introductory teleconference with the media on Tuesday made an impression on Brubaker.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about both guys from other players across the league,” Brubaker said. “Going to be awesome to have them in the clubhouse. Just from Santana’s little video there dancing and stuff, you know he’s going to bring energy. It’s going to be fun. I’m excited to get a chance to meet him and get to know him.”
Winning is fun, too, and Brubaker is confident the Pirates will do more of that in 2023. Obviously biased considering his position, Brubaker believes the starting rotation will be much improved following a season in which the Pirates finished 26th in the big leagues in ERA.
Brubaker sat out the second half of September with arm inflammation. While he was on the injured list, he got an up-close look at Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, Johan Oviedo, Bryse Wilson, and Luis Ortiz.
Keller is the oldest of that group at 26. Oviedo and Wilson are 24 while Contreras and Ortiz are 23.
“The rotation really started to develop and show itself what it can be and what it’s going to be,” Brubaker said. “It was electric. It was dominant. It was fun to watch. Just a lot of powerful stuff coming out of those guys’ arms.”
That pitching along with the additions of Santana and Choi and the expected improvement of such young hitters as shortstop Oneil Cruz has Brubaker thinking about October. And not the last scheduled game of the 2023 season on Oct. 1 against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park.
“We know as players that we’re better than (a 100-loss team),” Brubaker said. “Last year, we were in a lot of ballgames where if stuff goes a different way who knows where we’re at? That’s the game of baseball, though.
“Each year, we always come in expecting to win, expecting to succeed. We expect to get better next season and look forward to a playoff push.”
Yes, a playoff push. That’s not a made-up quote.
It seems the Pirates’ early off-season moves have the boys excited. Of course, this is the time of the year when miracles happen.