Pirates Performers to Watch: Big Leaguers Ramp Up Playing Time

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to finalize their Opening Day roster, slimming the number of players remaining in big league camp to 40, and prioritizing playing time for everyday starters rather than giving minor leaguers a chance to test their mettle. Here are some of the top performers in the past two weeks amongst the Pirates’ big leaguers.

• Oneil Cruz hit .333 in 27 at-bats, including six home runs and two multi-homer games.
• Jared Triolo logged four hits in 12 at-bats over the past two weeks, adding four walks and a homer.
• Henry Davis went 5-for-17 over the same span, walking four times and managing a pair of doubles.
• Jack Suwinski went 10-for-29, enjoying one of his patented hot streaks with two three-hit games and three home runs.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 11-for-27 with two doubles and a walk
• Bryan Reynolds started to work his way out of a spring slump, managing six hits in 25 at-bats, two of which cleared the fences.

Pirates Pitchers

• Mitch Keller made just one start, keeping the Tigers off the board for four innings while striking out three batters.
• Luis Ortiz, like Keller, made one four inning appearance, allowing eight base runners as he struggled with control… but only one run crossed despite that.
• Roansy Contreras made one start, walking six and allowing four runs—three on a first inning homer as he settled in. He improved mightily upon moving to the bullpen, working 3.2 scoreless innings and striking out nine batters.
• Martín Pérez made one appearance, striking out eight batters in five innings and allowing two unearned runs because of throwing errors from Cruz and Reynolds.
• Marco Gonzales made two starts. He allowed one run in five innings in the first, then the Yankees shelled him for nine runs and five homers in the second, which lasted 3.2 innings before Derek Shelton mercifully gave him the hook.