Pirates 2023 Preview: Andrew McCutchen Back But Not Most Important Player (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have a much more veteran presence in their clubhouse this season following an eventual offseason by general manager Ben Cherington.
Such highly respected veterans as Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, Rich Hill and Austin Hedges were signed as free agents. Santana and Hill, in particular, were magnets for the Pirates’ younger players from the early days of spring training.
However, it will be the development of the young guys who will ultimately determine if the Pirates can finally begin to make progress in their long rebuilding process this season.
They will start finding out Thursday when the Pirates visit the Reds at 4:10 p.m. in the season opener at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
The Pirates will likely have four players 26 or younger in the lineup – second baseman Rodolfo Castro (23), third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes (26), shortstop Oneil Cruz (24) and center fielder Jack Suwinski (24). Furthermore, infielder/outfielder Ji-Hwan Bae (23) is an intriguing youngster.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Roansy Contreras and 25-year-old Johan Oviedo will be part of the starting rotation. Though now 27, right-hander Mitch Keller still seemingly has more upside.
The Pirates could use all those players to take a step forward this season. And there is no doubt that it is time for the Pirates to step forward collectively following seasons of 101 and 100 losses, especially if general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton want to improve their job security.
The most intriguing player of the group of young players is Cruz, who is the cornerstone of the Pirates’ rebuilding in many ways. He has the best chance of developing into a superstar with his power bat, above-average speed and cannon arm.
Cruz has been the King of Statcast since making his major-league debut during the last weekend of the 2021 season with his exit velocities, sprint scores and throwing velocities. He has hit 18 home runs and stolen 10 bases in 89 big-league games.
However, Cruz also has 126 strikeouts in 361 plate appearances, an anemic .295 on-base percentage and 17 errors.
Plate discipline is obviously a concern. So is Cruz’s propensity for inaccurate throws. Most alarming is that he seems to have little feel for the game.
However, the Pirates say they saw Cruz make significant progress this spring. One example came last Saturday night when Cruz worked a walk from Baltimore Orioles left-hander DL Hall in a Grapefruit League game, which brought a smile to Shelton’s face.
“That was a really good one,” Shelton said. “Hard-throwing left-hander that had been going through our lineup pretty well. To be able to battle, foul off pitches, I think that’s a really encouraging sign. As we’ve seen all spring, his swing decisions continue to get better.”
The Pirates need to improve those swing decisions up and down the lineup. They struck out 1,497 times last season, just one less than the Atlanta Braves, who led the NL.
The second-most intriguing storyline might be if left fielder Bryan Reynolds is still with the Pirates by the end of the season.
Reynolds requested a trade last December when talks over a long-term contract extension reached a standstill. However, both sides remain at least somewhat hopeful of reaching a deal.
While the occasional trade rumor popped up, the Pirates never came close to trading Reynolds in spring training. Things could change at the July 31 trade deadline, though, if the Pirates are convinced that they can’t Reynolds for the long haul.
Everyone in the organization – and seemingly every single person in the Pirates’ fan base – is ecstatic to have McCutchen back in the organization following a five-year absence. He was the 2013 National League MVP and made five straight All-Star teams from 2011-15 in his first stint with the Pirates.
McCutchen is no longer a superstar, but he can still play and should benefit the Pirates both on and off the field. I’ve also never seen McCutchen smile as much as I did during my two spring training trips.
If nothing else, it should be a moment to remember when McCutchen jogs from the dugout to the third-base foul line during pre-game introductions on April 7 when the Pirates play the Chicago White Sox in their home opener at PNC Park.
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