Pittsburgh Pirates Three Stars of the Week Sep. 27-Oct. 3

The Pirates completed their 2021 season with a six-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. After dropping two out of three to the Cubs, the Bucs won the series against the Reds. The Pirates ended the year with a record of 61-101.

The week also included the promotions of two of the Pirates’ top prospects in Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz. COntreras pitched three shutout innings against the Cubs on Thursday and Cruz picked up three hits and three RBIs, including his first career home run in his two games played over the weekend.

ONEIL CRUZ JUST HIT HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HOME RUN!!! pic.twitter.com/PIMMswXDYl

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 3, 2021

Even though both showed the promise of what is to come for the Pirates, neither made the three stars of the week thanks to the limited sample size. Instead, these three guys are the Pirates’ top three performers.

Third Star: Cole Tucker – .222/.300/.500 4 for 18, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 6 games

After a hitless series against the Cubs, Tucker recorded hits in all three games against the Reds to end the year, including a career night on Friday. That night alone earned Tucker a spot on this list as Tucker did a little bit of everything that game. He made two spectacular plays in the field, legged out a leadoff triple and put an exclamation point on his night with an eighth inning grand slam.

HAVE YOURSELF A GAME, COLE TUCKER!!! pic.twitter.com/wEAxh0EuZJ

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 2, 2021

Tucker was likely fighting for a roster spot next season and his strong performance down the stretch increased the odds of him earning one. Ben Cherington has a touch decision to make regarding the former first round pick.

Second Star: Wil Crowe – 6ip 1H 0R 2BB 9K one start

Crowe turned in the best start of his career on Friday against the Reds. After walking two in the first inning, Crowe allowed just a single base runner the rest of his night. His nine strikeouts tied his career-high.

Crowe was flyin' high last night. pic.twitter.com/AClBySSADO

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 2, 2021

The right-hander was in command of all his pitches. He was using a lively fastball that was consistently in the mid-90s, a sharp breaking ball and his changeup was just about untouchable. He recorded 19 swings and misses on the night.

First Star: Bryan Reynolds – .625/.667/1.125 10 for 16, 2 2B, 3 3B, 2 RBI, 6 R, 6 games

It’s only fitting that Reynolds is the first start in the final edition of the season, right? Reynolds entered the final stretch of the season looking to push his batting average above .300 and his OPS above .900 for the season. Thanks to an incredible stretch at the plate, Reynolds did just that, as he became the first Pirate to do so in the same season since Andrew McCutchen in 2014.

The three triples on the week gave Reynolds a tie for the league lead with eight on the season.

Just another Runnin' Reynolds highlight. pic.twitter.com/0tw1SyCyqT

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 3, 2021

That concludes the final edition of Three Stars of the Week for the 2021 season. Check back next season to see the Pirates top three performers from their first week of 2022!