Takeaways from the Pirates' 2023 season

This story was excerpted from Justice delos Santos’ Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

On the penultimate day of the regular season, manager Derek Shelton shared how this past September contrasted with previous Septembers.

In 2021 and 2022, seasons in which the Pirates lost 101 and 100 games, respectively, Shelton described feeling fatigue as the season’s final days ticked away. This season? Not so much.

“I don't know if I've ever been at the end of a season where I'm as excited for what we're doing as I am right now,” Shelton said.

The excitement is warranted. The Pirates not only won 14 more games than last season, but finished this year having played their best ball of Shelton’s managerial tenure -- a stretch that has the clubhouse confident that they can make the playoffs in 2024. Before looking ahead to what could be, here’s a look back at what was:

Defining moment

There was no shortage of memorable moments this season, a list that includes, Andrew McCutchen’s first game back at PNC Park to his 2,000th hit to Ji Hwan Bae, Carlos Santana and Joshua Palacios’ walk-off homers. The defining moment of this season, though, was Oneil Cruz fracturing his left fibula nine games into the season, an injury that proved to be season ending. The Pirates improved without Cruz, and it’s fair to wonder how this season would’ve unfolded if he had been healthy.

What we learned

The Pirates’ season can be divided into three chapters. They weren’t as good as they were in April (20-9). They weren’t as bad as they were for the rest of the first half (21-40). The second half, a stretch in which they went 35-37, was the best representation of where the Pirates currently stand. The playoffs aren’t as far away as they were a year ago, and many coaches and players are going into next season with the expectation of playing fall ball.

Best development

In addition to the youth movement, the Pirates had several foundational pieces put together career years. Ke’Bryan Hayes broke out on offense. Mitch Keller earned his first All-Star appearance, and David Bednar earned his second.

Jack Suwinski led the team in home runs (26) and posted career highs all across the board. Johan Oviedo made 32 starts and emerged as a piece in next year’s rotation.

McCutchen, despite a lingering right elbow injury, also bounced back from the worst offensive season of his career in his return to Pittsburgh.

Area for improvement

If the Pirates are going to contend next season, they need much more starting pitching depth. They entered Spring Training with nine starters -- Keller, Roansy Contreras, JT Brubaker, Vince Velasquez, Rich Hill, Oviedo, Luis L. Ortiz, Quinn Priester and Mike Burrows -- in line to pitch Major League innings in 2023.

Due to a combination of injuries, trades and circumstance, the Pirates only had two true starters in the rotation (Keller and Oviedo) by season’s end.

On the rise

The Pirates really leaned into the youth movement, allowing Endy Rodríguez, Henry Davis, Jared Triolo, Carmen Mlodzinski, Liover Peguero, Ortiz, Priester and Nick Gonzales to receive extended action at the Major League level this season.

More young players are on the way, too. Paul Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, could feasibly debut next season. Right-handers Jared Jones and Burrows, the Pirates’ No. 3 and No. 8 prospects per MLB Pipeline, could make their debuts as well (Burrows is still recovering from reconstruction to his right UCL).

Team MVP

In his first couple seasons, Hayes’ underlying metrics indicated that he could be a productive hitter. After being a below-average hitter in ’21 and ’22, Hayes put together the best offensive season of his career to pair with his elite defense. Hayes had career-bests in batting average (.271), slugging percentage (.453) and home runs (15), all of which led to a career-high 105 OPS+.